STMicroelectronics introduces the first ultra-low power and data security STM32L5 microcontroller for IoT

     STMicroelectronics has introduced the STM32L5x2 series of ultra-low power microcontrollers (MCUS) with security as the highlight to provide better security for iot connected applications. The STM32L5 family of MCUS is clocked at up to 110MHz and is based on the Arm® Cortex®-M33 32-bit RISC processor core with built-in Arm TrustZone hardware security technology. Originally developed for devices such as desktops, mobile devices, and communications infrastructure, trusted computing is capable of verifying the legitimacy of networked devices, creating a protected execution environment for data protection functions and sensitive code (encryption modules and key stores), and preventing any attempt to compromise the device or software; Untrusted code runs in a separate execution environment.

     Building on this, ST has added the ability to add or remove every I/O pin, peripheral, or flash or SRAM storage area at will within the TrustZone isolation protection, completely isolating sensitive work tasks and maximizing device security. In addition, ST's implementation of TrustZone supports secure boot, internal SRAM and flash dedicated read and write protection, and encryption algorithm acceleration technologies, including AES 128/256-bit key hardware acceleration and Public Key acceleration (PKA), and AES-128 Instant Decryption (OTFDEC) to protect external stored code or data. The STM32L5 also supports active tamper detection and security firmware installation. For safety reasons, the STM32L5 is PSA Level 2 certified.

     Thomas Ensergueix, Senior Director, Automotive and iot Business Line at Arm, said: "As iot and embedded devices continue to improve intelligence and functionality, security must be built from the ground up. "The STM32L5 series makes it easier for developers to develop trusted, Psal-certified devices based on Arm Cortex-M33 processors, providing a reliable and secure platform for the development of consumer, industrial and other devices."

     In addition to these flexible information protection and product designs, ST has added its proprietary ultra-low power technologies to the new products, such as adaptive voltage regulation, real-time acceleration, power gating and multiple low-power operating modes, enabling the microcontroller to achieve high performance and long battery life whether powered by a button battery or powered by energy harvesting. In addition, when the VDD voltage is high enough, the high-efficiency switching step-down regulator can be turned on or off in real time to improve low-power performance. The final ULPMark test results were excellent: 370 ULpmark-CoreProfile and 54 Ulpmark-PeripherAlProfile (1.8V operating voltage). ULPMark is a key indicator of energy efficiency for ultra-low power microcontrollers developed by EEMBC based on real-world benchmarks.

     Ricardo De Sa Earp, General Manager of ST's Microcontrollers division, said: "ST is a leader in the MCU market and has identified areas such as smart cities, smart buildings and smart industries as strategic priorities for the company. We recognize the importance of a family of MCUS that combine world-class ultra-low power with industry-leading data security to protect mission-critical applications and edge computing data. Inherit ST's expertise in ultra-low power design and manufacturing processes, build on Arm TrustZone's solid foundation, add our data security protection technology, and rely on the industry-leading STM32 development ecosystem. The STM32L5x2 MCU is ideal for industrial IoT applications such as meters, health (human or machine) monitoring, and mobile point-of-sale terminals that require reliability and security."

     The STM32L5x2 MCU is equipped with 512 KB dual-zone flash memory, which allows simultaneous read and write operations, facilitates device management, and supports error correction code (ECC) diagnostics for improved data security. It is also equipped with 256KB SRAM that supports high-speed external memory, including single, dual, four or eight-wire SPI and Hyperbus flash or SRAM, providing SRAM, PSRAM, NOR, NAND or FRAM memory interfaces.

     The STM32L5x2's digital peripherals include a USB Full Speed controller with a dedicated power supply, allowing customers to transfer data using USB even if the system power supply is 1.8V. Also included are UCPD controllers compliant with USB Type-C version 1.2 and USB Power Delivery version 3.0 specifications. Intelligent analog capabilities include state-of-the-art analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), two power-gated digital-to-analog converters (Dacs), two ultra-low power comparators, and two operational amplifiers, two of which have external or internal voltage following circuits and programmable gain amplifier (PGA) capabilities.

     The STM32L5 series belongs to the market-leading STM32 MCU product family, fully supports the STM32 development ecosystem, and has its own STM32CubeL5 one-stop package. These include hardware abstraction layer and underlying drivers, FreeRTOS, Trusted Firmware-M(TF-M), Secure Boot and Secure Firmware Update (SBSFU), USB-PD device drivers, MbedTLS and MbedCrypto, FatFS file systems, and more. And touch-sensitive drivers. In addition, the STM32CubeL5 has more than 300 project examples that can be run on the STM32L552E-EV evaluation board, the STM32L562E-DK Discovery Kit and the NUCLEO-L552ZE-Q development board. These projects can be compiled using the ArmKeil® development tool, IAR, or STM32CubeIDE toolkit, and the project output includes an STM32CubeMX configuration file that allows users to easily customize Settings and update code.